Aurora Beaumont
Lady Aurora Maryann Meshcheryakov, Viscountess Beaumont '''KIC (born '''Aurora-Marie Anne Beaumont, 12 February 3245 – 29 April 3296), was a Terran spacer law enforcement officer and a veteran of the Great War. She was also the wife of current Governor Artem Meshcheryakov of the planet Keystone, and is the mother of their two children. Prior to 3281 she was also known by the Anglicised name Aurora Maryann Beaumont. She was knighted in 3281 as a result of her actions during the Keystone Incident which saw thousands of lives saved in the aftermath of nuclear terror bombings on several Keystone cities. In her role as Commissioner of the Hauberk Metropolitan Police Department, she was responsible for the public safety of the city and organized the relief effort. Subsequently, she organized the reconstruction of the city water treatment plant and harbour district, the area hit hardest by the bombings. She held the office of Commissioner of the HMPD until 3290, when she was appointed by the planetary government to serve as Commissioner for the East Norden Provincial Police, holding ex officio a seat on the planetary Police Commission. Prior to her law enforcement career on Keystone, she served in the Terran Imperial Army from 3265 to 3272. She was the younger sister of famed war hero and Marines general Céleste Beaumont, Duchess of Victory and Marchioness of Megiddo. Until her death, she was heiress presumptive of her sister's marcher title. She died on the night of April 29th of 3296 after sustaining severe injuries in a motor vehicle accident. She died during medical evacuation, and was buried on Keystone. She is survived by her spouse and her two children. Early life and education Aurora-Marie Anne Beaumont was born February 12th, 3245, to Commodore Pénélope Beaumont and Lieutenant Commander Daniel J. Beaumont. Both of her parents were career Navy officers. Beaumont's mother was descended from Franco-Terran spacers who had lived on space habitats in the Cassiopeian Frontier province for generations, and had likewise been Terran naval personnel for generations. Her father was born on Earth and came from a family of wealthy French financiers and businesspeople, but he joined the Imperial Navy to "see the frontier". She was born and raised at the orbital habitat Goshen Station, in orbit around the planet Gesem IV in the Exodus Star Cluster. Alongside her elder sister Céleste, she was educated at the Naval Children's Centre. Her sister graduated from the school and departed to join the Imperial Marines as an officer. Aurora went instead to the Gesem College, earning an Associate of Arts degree in Theatre Arts. However, her personal differences with the director of the school's theatre program, who was also the director of the regional theatre program, prevented her from obtaining work in the Provincial Theatre. On 9th September, the announcement was made that the Empire was engaged in a state of war with the Soviet Republic. With no clear career direction, and swept into the patriotic fervour, Aurora Beaumont enlisted in the Army. Military service Beaumont enlisted in the Imperial Army on September 17th, 3265, and was selected for service in the illustrious Cavalry Corps. She attended Basic Training, Infantry School, and Harsh Environment Training from November 3265 to February 3266. She additionally attended NCO school and Field Artillery School from March through July. She was promoted to Corporal and assigned to the 503rd Artillery Battalion in the 12th Guard Cavalry Division. The 12th Cavalry had been mobilized for immediate deployment and first saw action against the Soviet Republic in December 3265 as reinforcing ground forces at the battle for Kalabaska, a large, hot terrestrial planet with vital industrial infrastructure and orbital installations. Beaumont was deployed to the 503rd as a replacement NCO after the battalion suffered heavy losses during the landings. 12th Guards Cavalry were garrisoned at Kalabaska from March to August 3266. For eight months afterwards, they were redeployed for policing duties on various other worlds in the end-stages of capture. In May 3267, they were deployed as part of a large task force to capture the Khoz System. Along with two Marine divisions, and another fourteen Army divisions, the 12th Guards Cavalry were landed on the surface of Khoz Prime. The Battle of Khoz turned out to be one of the largest battles of the Great War, with Khoz Prime being the locus of the battle. The fighting lasted six months, during which the 12th Guards Cavalry at first encircled Soviet forces but then themselves became encircled. Beaumont was placed on the front lines during the long summer and autumn months in gruelling trench warfare. She was promoted to Sergeant in August 3267 and placed in command of a weapons squad, and was promoted in October to Staff Sergeant. The 503rd was pinned down on the far northern end of the Soviet encirclement, and to provided long-range artillery support for battalions engaged in the city. In late autumn, communications equipment between the 503rd and the other elements of the 12th Cavalry were severed and it became impossible for the artillery battalion to properly coordinate fire support. The situation for the units in the city quickly deteriorated. The 505th Dragoons Battalion dispatched a small unit, the Lonely Hearts Squad, to restore the lines of communication. The Lonely Hearts fought in City Zone 231 but lost their Sergeant, Edward Pepper, team leader Corporal Richard O'Toole, weapons team leader Corporal Jayne Cobb Rossum, and grenadier Private Lucy van Marten to enemy fire. The squad left the city in an armoured vehicle, and encountered Sergeant Beaumont along the way while engaged with a Soviet light walker. Her squad were all killed from grenade fire, and she was aided by the Lonely Hearts in defeating the walker. Beaumont was mildly injured during the engagement, but was quickly patched up by field medic Specialist Daniel McRogers. The squad, guided by Beaumont, linked up with the 503rd battalion and repaired their communications equipment. The Lonely Hearts joined the 503rd Battalion's assault on a Soviet fortification. Beaumont was assigned by her commanding officer to augment the squad for their return journey. The 503rd engaged in artillery support of the unit pinned down in City Zone 231 and of other Army units dispersed in the surrounding forest. The support was vital for the victory in the battle. Beaumont and the Lonely Hearts returned to the southern combat base on 9 November. The squad's temporary leader Sergeant Artem Meshcheryakov, whom she would later marry, was reassigned to the company staff and promoted to Sergeant First Class. Beaumont was transferred to the 505th battalion and assigned squad leader of the remaining Lonely Hearts. Two other members of the unit were discharged. Specialist McRogers was given medical leave, and was reassigned to the Army Medical School as a researcher. Beaumont was given the hard task of training the replacements for the lost members of the squad, assisted by Private Ophelius Greene, who was promoted to Corporal. Beaumont was awarded the Close Combat Badge in Silver and the Infantry Assault Badge in Silver, as well as the Wound Badge. Sergeant Meshcheryakov was tasked with assisting the 1st Platoon in training and evaluating its soldiers, and greatly aided Sergeant Beaumont in maintaining the unit after the November battle. She remained in command of the unit until December 3270 when she was reassigned to a staff NCO position in the 505th battalion and promoted to Master Sergeant. She was tendered for a medical discharge after she had been suffering from PTSD and depression. She was released from service in July 3272 at the end of her second tour of duty and, at the recommendation of her commanding officer, her discharge was uprated to an honourable discharge. She was awarded the Iron Cross for valour. Law Enforcement career For a few years after her discharge, Aurora Beaumont lived with her mother. She took a few jobs as a security contractor, and took an interest in justice administration. She was severely injured during one of these incidents, having to have her leg amputated and replaced with a cybernetic. Beaumont has yet to divulge the details of the incident that caused the injury. At some unknown point in late 3274 she was reacquainted with Artem Meshcheryakov, and went to live with him at his home in Hauberk on Keystone. They began a romantic relationship and cohabitation. She joined the Hauberk Metropolitan Police Department in January 3275. She worked as a patrol officer until late 3276 when she was promoted to a Police Sergeant in the homicide desk. She quickly rose up the ranks in the 3270s to become a Police Lieutenant. However, she came into frequent disagreement with Meshcheryakov and she left in 3278 to her own apartment in the city. She was promoted to Captain and placed in charge of the homicide desk in 3279. She was at the forefront of the Metropolitan Police investigations into the assassination of Richard Hawking, Prefect of Dusken on 14 June 3280. The assassination precipitated the Keystone Incident, setting off successive waves of criminal activity, police crackdowns, and banditry. The police investigation led by Captain Beaumont found the existence of two unconnected assailants and attempted arrests of both. One, an unidentified gunman known only as "Blue", committed suicide during a police siege of his cave hideout. The other, Seth Martin Kubrick, was subject to an attempted raid led directly by Captain Beaumont; the suspect escaped to another safehouse and was later apprehended by a second police raid. Beaumont was severely injured in the first raid, and was hospitalised for several weeks. In August, she was recovered enough to be evacuated to Meshcheryakov's ranch home in Hammond. They rekindled some degree of their previous relationship during the stressful situation of the incident. Following the incident, she went back to work in Hauberk. The nuclear attack on the city's southwest side had devastated its water supply and industrial district. Crime was rampant, and reconstruction was needed. Beaumont was appointed interim Commissioner of the HMPD and headed the efforts of the police to perform emergency management and reconstruction. Beaumont became increasingly apparently pregnant. Nonetheless, she continued her career at the head of the city's police with the rank of Inspector. She gave birth on 11 May 3281 to twins, Dmitri and Andromeda. She took a period of paid maternity leave, during which she married Meshcheryakov on 18 December. Meanwhile, Meshcheryakov began his political campaign for the office of Planetary Governor. She returned to work in early 3282. She took the name Aurora Maryann Meshcheryakov. She retained her office as Commissioner of the HMPD until 3290, when she was appointed Commissioner of the East Norden Provincial Police by the planetary government. Governor Meshcheryakov was criticised for his actions in promoting his wife to a high police position, furthering her career. Accusations of nepotism led to a formal investigation by State Security agents, but it was determined that Aurora was of sufficient qualifications to serve as Commissioner of the East Norden police agency. Her responsibilities included coordinating the region's municipal, highway, and rural police departments, deploying provincial police troopers to assist with local matters, and inspecting local police. In this office she was also ex officio on the planetary Police Commission, representing East Norden. Death and legacy Road accident and death Beaumont and her husband departed on a vacation in April 3296 to the Sutherland Range State Park, staying at a cabin in the mountains. The region was and is known for its rich wildlife and game, and both Governor Meshcheryakov and Commissioner Beaumont were avid hunters. They undertook an extended safari in the mountains and nearby plains throughout most of April. While returning from a field excursion in Jacobson's Hollow, their convertible 3264 Chevrolet Impala was engaged in a road accident. At around 13:00 Beaumont, operating the vehicle, took a sharp turn along winding road and collided with a fallen tree. The front of the vehicle crumpled and the glass wind-shield was shattered by a protruding branch of the tree, sending a shard at high speed into the seat cushion of the driver's side which damaged the seatbelt and belt-locking mechanism. Beaumont's seatbelt was shorn and she was flung from the vehicle as it flipped over the fallen tree, herself flying into a thick tree standing near the roadside. The vehicle came to a rest against this same tree, pinning her. Meshcheryakov was knocked unconscious by blunt trauma as his head struck the passenger front panel. When Meshcheryakov came to around 16:00, Beaumont was rapidly losing blood. The vehicle had crushed several internal organs and a small branch protruding from the tree against which she was pinned had pierced her back, damaging her spinal column, back muscles, and puncturing her left lung. Meshcheryakov attempted to assuage her while he called the nearest emergency service. It took several attempts due to weak telecommunications signal in the area, but at 16:15 a signal went through and a medical rescue aerodyne was dispatched to search the area and evacuate them for medical attention. Despite tracking signals from Meshcheryakov and Beaumont, it took almost an hour for them to be found and rescued. Despite first aid being given in the medical rescue vehicle, Beaumont slipped into a coma and died of internal injuries en route to the Samabama County Hospital, somewhere between 17:20 and 17:35 on 29 April 3296. She was examined and declared dead on arrival to the hospital. A later coroner examination found that, had she been rescued, she would likely have been permanently paralysed from the neck down and required multiple cybernetic or wetware replacements of damaged organs and organ systems. Her left lung, spleen, left kidney, and portions of her intestines were severely damaged. She had suffered massive trauma to her left side and significant trauma to the torso as a whole. Her spine, six ribs on her left side, four ribs on her right, and both collarbones were broken. Meshcheryakov suffered comparatively minor injuries, with some trauma to the head and a resulting concussion, with little bleeding as well as bruises and scrapes on his arms. Most of the scrapes were due to picking his way over the damaged vehicle to get to Beaumont as she was pinned against the tree. Beaumont's body was cryogenically preserved while a funeral date was discussed by her surviving family. Funeral and legacy Beaumont's body was taken to Port Glimmer on 4 May and lay in state for a week while her offworld family members and acquaintances flew in to Keystone for the funeral. She was then transported to Hauberk and buried at the Mohamed Sana'a Memorial Cemetery on 13 May 3296. Her siblings, mother, husband, and children attended, along with fellow veterans of the Lonely Hearts squad Dr. Daniel McRogers and State Security Major Ophelius Greene, and several hundred police officers, civil officials, and citizens in Hauberk. She was posthumously decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Swords. Personal life Aurora was the younger sister of famed Marine general Céleste Beaumont, with whom she grew up and attended primary and secondary school on their home station. For reasons unstated to the press, the siblings were estranged for several years. By most accounts, they appeared to have mended their split in the mid-3280s. She was the legal heir to her sister's hereditary titles, which have passed to her children. Aurora married Artem Meshcheryakov in 3282 after a turbulent, on-again off-again relationship that had lasted nearly nine years. Beaumont moved in to live with Meshcheryakov in the mid-3270s, but they split after a few years. Media speculation was that their separation was due to career differences. They reconnected, by all accounts, in the aftermath of the Keystone Incident. She bore him twins in May 3281: a son, Dmitri and a daughter, Andromeda. The couple married soon after on 18 December 3281. Beaumont was a keen enthusiast of the sports of motorcycle racing, gymnastics, and hunting, and was a noted sharpshooter. Summary of Army and Police career Enlisted in the Terran Imperial Army 17 September 3265. Went to Basic Training 3 November 3265 to 6 January 3266, Infantry School 10 January to 11 February 3266, and Harsh Environment Training 15 to 30 February 3266. Went to Army NCO School 5 March to 1 April 3266. Went to Field Artillery School 6 April to 4 July 3266. Assigned to 503rd Artillery Battery, 2nd Armoured Brigade of the 12th Guards Cavalry Division from 8 July 3266 to 15 November 3267. Assigned to 505th Dragoons Battalion from 15 November 3267 to 11 December 3270. Assigned to battalion staff, 505th Dragoons Battalion from 11 December 3270 to 21 July 3272. Honourably discharged from Army service 21 July 3272. Enlisted in the Hauberk Metropolitan Police Department as an enforcer of the law 6 January 3275. Attended Hauberk Police Academy 16 January to 4 February 3275. Assigned to 5th Precinct from 6 February 3275 to 5 May 3276. Assigned to HMPD Homicide Desk 6 May 3275 to 16 December 3279. Commissioned an Officer of the Colonial Police 14 September 3278. Assigned command of HMPD Homicide Desk 16 December 3279 to 31 December 3280. Commissioned a General of the Colonial Police 11 September 3280. Appointed Commissioner of the Hauberk Metropolitan Police Department 1 January 3281. Underwent maternal leave 5 May 3281 to 5 February 3282. Appointed Commissioner of the East Norden Provincial Police 30 March 3290. Died 29 April 3296. Dates of rank Army * Recruit (E-0) 17 September 3265 * Private (E-1) 3 November 3265 * Private First Class (E-2) 6 January 3266 * Corporal (E-4) 1 April 3266 * Sergeant (E-5) 11 August 3267 * Staff Sergeant (E-6) 20 October 3267 * Master Sergeant (E-8) 11 December 3270 Colonial Police * Watch Recruit (E-1) 6 January 3275 * Watchman (E-2) 4 February 3275 * Sergeant (E-5) 8 November 3276 * Lieutenant (O-1) 14 September 3278 * Captain (O-3) 16 December 3279 * Inspector (O-7) 11 September 3280 * Division Chief (O-8) 1 January 3281 * Corps Chief (O-9) 30 March 3290 Notable decorations * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Swords * Iron Cross * Distinguished Service Cross * Police Service Cross * War Merit Cross * Silver Star * Bronze Star * Infantry Assault Badge (in Silver) * Close Combat Badge (in Silver) * Army Service Medal * Wound Badge (2 times) * Khoz Campaign Combat Service Medal * Vryst Campaign Combat Service Medal Behind the scenes Aurora Beaumont was created by Mallori Puchino as part of the tabletop roleplaying game conducted by the Unionverse creative team. In that campaign's second episode, her initial character was slain by her own commander (who then committed suicide in despair), so she generated a new one in order to continue play. Puchino had previously created, developed, and played as Celeste Beaumont, and would later on to continue developing and playing as Celeste. She chose to create a younger sibling of Celeste's, a polar opposite: hotheaded and temperamental where the other was calm, rugged and tomboyish while the elder cut a more gracile figure, and disdainful of cybernetics while her sister was famous as a full-body cyborg. Aurora appeared and accompanied the main party, but came into conflict with them over the treatment of her CO, whom the main players had been tasked with capturing or executing. Billy McGrady, of course, chose murder. Aurora was punished for her defiance of a "political soldier" like McGrady. But her sister, having gained increased prestige and position, helped her out of trouble and later got her a discharge. Over time, Aurora appeared in other episodes, and once was severely injured and lost a leg, required a dreaded cybernetic implant. She eventually interacted with Artem Meshcheryakov again and ran away with him to his homeworld. But they clashed over her desire to become a police officer and his desire to completely distance themselves from conflict. Add to that, Aurora was an adrenaline junkie and craved action. So they separated shortly before the game's second "season" began, which involved the Keystone Incident. She was injured a few times, had to be hospitalised, but on the upside she made up with Meshcheryakov and he nursed her back to health in the aftermath of the incident. They married, had kids, and he became governor. She went back to her duties as a police leader. Later down the line, the decision was made by the top creative editors to kill off Aurora. It was decided that, especially for such a high-profile figure involved with dangerous work, an extremely mundane cause of death was soberingly realistic and gave another piece of verisimilitude to the story.Category:Army personnel Category:Keystone Category:Lonely Hearts squad Category:Military personnel Category:Military personnel of the Colonial Wars Category:Military personnel of the Great War Category:Police generals Category:Police officers Category:Road accident deaths Category:Terran spacers